See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/YourMagnificence

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QUESTION. How can an intelligent person possibly believe astrology has
any merit?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. Many of the debunkers who try to discredit
astrology have done no research on the subject. They haven't read smart
astrological philosophers like Dane Rudhyar, don't know that seminal
astronomers Johannes Kepler and Galileo were skilled astrologers, and
aren't aware that eminent psychologist C.G. Jung cast horoscopes and
believed that "astrology represents the summation of all the
psychological knowledge of antiquity."

The closest approach the fraudulent "skeptics" usually make to the
ancient art is to glance at a random horoscope column in a newspaper or
on a website. To match their carelessness, I might make a drive-by of a
strip mall and declare that the profession of architecture is shallow and
debased.

That's one reason why these ill-informed "skeptics" spread so many
ignorant lies. For instance, they say that astrologers think the stars and
planets emit invisible beams that affect people's lives. The truth is, many
Western astrologers don't believe any such thing. (You can read more
comments about this below.)

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QUESTION. Because you pack your column with doses of wry humor and
wild imagery, some people think you don't take astrology seriously.

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. On the contrary, I think my humor and
imagery, along with my passion for crafting cliché-free language,
demonstrate how much respect I have for astrology. With the vigor I
apply to writing my oracles, I feel I'm alerting people to the possibility
that astrology may have more credibility than both its sloppy
practitioners and careless debunkers have afforded it.

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QUESTION. You have said in the past that you believe in astrology "about
80 percent." What's up with the other 20 percent?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. I use the same 80-20 approach with every
belief system I love and benefit from: Qabala, science, paganism,
transpersonal psychology, postmodern rationalism, feminism, and others. I
take what's useful from each, but am not so deluded as to think that any
single system is the holy grail the physicists call the "Theory of
Everything." Unconditional, unskeptical faith is the path of the fanatic and
fundamentalist, and I aspire to be a rowdy philosophical anarchist, aflame
with objectivity and committed to the truth that the truth is always
mutating.

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QUESTION. But don't you risk playing the same role the lazy astrologers
do: enticing people to take on a superstitious approach to life and
seducing them into believing their fate is determined by supernatural
forces beyond the influence of their willpower?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. I call what I do predicting the present, not
forecasting the future. My goal is to awaken my readers to the hidden
agendas, unconscious forces, and long-term cycles at work in their lives
so that they can respond to the totality of what's happening instead of to
mere appearances. I want to be a friendly shocker who helps unleash their
imaginations, giving them the power to create their destinies with the
same liberated fertility that great artists summon to forge their
masterpieces.

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QUESTION. How do you write your column? Do you use actual astrological
data, or just go into a trance and let your imagination run wild?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. I draw up a weekly chart for the sun, moon,
and major aspects of each sign. It's the framework within which I
improvise. The artistic part of the work is harder to pin down. One of my
guiding principles, though, is to treat each sign's horoscope as a personal
love letter—to speak as intimately about the mysteries of the moment as
if I were addressing a close friend.

Where do my inspirations come from? Dreams, letters from readers,
overheard conversations, meditation, lots of reading in a wide variety of
texts both sacred and profane, and the intensive cultivation of my own
receptivity.

I also rely on fact-finding missions I call whirlygigs. During these, I steep
myself with the intention of attracting lessons I don't know I need, then
meander the streets at random, going places I've never been and striking
up conversations with strangers with whom I apparently have nothing in
common.

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QUESTION: Many modern skeptics/scientists' assumption imagine that
astrology is based on the belief that the gravity or movements of the
planetary bodies themselves is what influences us. Is that a
misconception?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. Yes. It's another case of scientists not acting
like scientists -- not bothering to research the subject they speak about
authoritatively.

In his book *Cosmos and Psyche*, Richard Tarnas says the planets don't
emit invisible forces that shape our destinies as if we were puppets.
Rather, they are symbols of the unfolding evolutionary pattern. Just as
clocks tell time but don't create it, the heavenly bodies show us the big
picture but don't cause it.

Quoting Greek philosopher Plotinus, Tarnas writes, "The stars are like
letters that inscribe themselves at every moment in the sky. Everything in
the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated. All things depend on
each other. Everything breathes together."

So it's not just the distant globes whose movements and relationships
serve as divinatory clues. If you're sufficiently attuned to the gestalt of
creation and pay close enough attention to its unfolding details, you can
read the current mood of the universe in the arrangement of red onions in
the grocery store bin or the fluttering of sunlight and shadow on the
mimosa tree or the scatter of soap suds in your sink after you've finished
washing the dishes.

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QUESTION. You confuse me in the way that you praise rational thought
and the scientific method, yet reserve the right to believe in astrology,
angels, miracles, and other woo-woo.

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. Thousands of amazing, inexplicable, and even
supernatural events occur every day. And yet most are unreported by the
media. The few that are cited are ridiculed. Why?

Here's one possible reason: The people most likely to believe in wonders
and marvels are superstitious, uneducated, and prone to having a blind,
literalist faith in their religions' myths. Those who are least likely to
believe in wonders and marvels are skilled at analytical thought, well-
educated, and yet prone to having a blind, literalist faith in the ideology of
materialism, which dogmatically asserts that the universe consists entirely
of things that can be perceived by the five human senses or detected by
instruments that scientists have thus far invented.

The media is largely composed of people from the second group. It's
virtually impossible for them to admit to the possibility of events that
elude the rational mind's explanations, let alone experience them. If
anyone from this group manages to escape peer pressure and cultivate a
receptivity to the miraculous, it's because they have successfully fought
against being demoralized by the unsophisticated way wonders and
marvels are framed by the first group.

I try to be immune to the double-barreled ignorance. When I behold
astonishing synchronicities and numinous breakthroughs that seem to
violate natural law, I'm willing to consider the possibility that my
understanding of natural law is too narrow. And yet I also refrain from
lapsing into irrational gullibility; I actively seek mundane explanations for
apparent miracles.

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QUESTION. Can you sum up your approach to seeing the world?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. My outlook combines the rigorous objectivity
of a scientist, the "beginner's mind" of Zen Buddhism, and the
compassionate friendliness of the Dalai Lama. I blend a scrupulously
dispassionate curiosity with a skepticism driven by expansiveness, not
spleen.

To pull this off, I have to be willing to regularly suspend my theories about
the way the world works. I accept with good humor the possibility that
what I've learned in the past may not be a reliable guide to understanding
the fresh phenomenon that's right in front of me. I'm suspicious of my
biases, even the rational and benevolent ones. I open my heart as I strip
away the interpretations that my emotions might be inclined to impose.

"Before we can receive the unbiased truth about anything," wrote my
teacher Ann Davies, "we have to be ready to ignore what we would like to
be true."

At the same time, I don't want to turn into a hard-ass, poker-faced robot.
I keep my feelings moist and receptive. I remember my natural affection
for all of creation. I enjoy the power of tender sympathy as it drives me
to probe for the unimaginable revelations of every new moment. "Before
we can receive the entire truth about anything," said Ann Davies, "we
have to love it."

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INTERVIEWER: Can you provide a 25-words-or-less summary of what "Free
Will Astrology" is not?

ROB'S BREZSNY'S ANSWER. My Free Will Astrology horoscopes are not
rooted in or justified by any belief system, doctrine, fairy tale,
authoritative teacher, elaborate secret joke, mystical wishing, well-
rationalized bias, or rebellion against science. My horoscopes are fueled by
poetry and in service to the liberated imagination.

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ARCHIVES OF FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Here are the Free Will Astrology horoscopes from a year ago:
http://bit.ly/2qocYN1. (When you reach the link, scroll down to read your
horoscope.)

Here are the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the
beginning of 2018. How are they working for you?
http://bit.ly/YourGloriousStory2018

Here are the Free Will Astrology archives for the last 15 years:
http://bit.ly/10x1Ghu

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CRITICISM

Below is some reader email that came in recently. (If you'd like to tell me
your opinions on my work, either positive or negative, send them to
Truthrooster@gmail.com.)

Mr. So-Called Astrologer: I was browsing through the Folio Weekly
newspaper in Jacksonville, and saw your horoscopes, and really had to
say: what the hell?!

One horoscope has a bunch of synonyms and antonyms mushed together.
What is "strong softness" supposed to mean? Or "daring acts of
nurturing"? Just sounds like nonsense to me.

Another horoscope has a weird story about the history of cars (although
thanks for providing the moral of the story, because otherwise I would
not have realized the point)

So this is just my request to, if possible, give us more of a horoscope and
less of a game of words that really do not have any usefulness.

Hold off on the irrelevant stories and be more direct in giving some
practical advice about my finances or who I should date. Maybe put in
some numerology or even what to watch out for in the current week.

I love reading horoscopes but yours were very confusing and
disappointing.

Thank you :)

Fran R.

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SUPPORT

I was born under the sign of Cancerian the Crab. One of the potential
weaknesses of our tribe is that we can tend to be almost pathologically
self-sufficient. Some of us may find it challenging to ask for help and
support. In my continuing effort to overcome this inclination, I'm asking
for your support!

If you would like to contribute to me and my ongoing work, please visit
my Virtual Tip Jar at Paypal. It's here:
https://paypal.me/FreeWillAstrology

You can also contribute to my well-being by buying the Expanded Audio
Horoscopes I create every week. These forecasts are different in tone and
content from the written horoscopes I provide here. They're my four- to
five-minute-long ruminations about the current chapter of your life story.
They're available at http://RealAstrology.com.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

Adidas tuned garbage into money, selling a million shoes made from
recycled ocean plastic.
https://tinyurl.com/ya93lndk

TV Stations Follow John Oliver's Lead in the Movement to Forgive Medical
Debt. How former debt collectors showed everyone how to buy up
people's medical debt at pennies on the dollar.
https://tinyurl.com/y9gqmqqq

A Lesson From the Fireflies. The principles made apparent by biological
research show us that life is, at nearly every level, a collective concern.
https://tinyurl.com/y78tq99b

(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They aren't advertisements,
and I get no kickbacks.)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A chemist named Marcellus Gilmore Edson got
a patent on peanut butter in 1894. A businessperson named George
Bayle started selling peanut butter as a snack in 1894. In 1901, a genius
named Julia David Chandler published the first recipe for a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich. In 1922, another pioneer came up with a new process
for producing peanut butter that made it taste better and last longer. In
1928, two trailblazers invented loaves of sliced bread, setting the stage
for the ascension of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich to its full glory.
According to my analysis, Taurus, you're partway through your own
process of generating a very practical marvel. I suspect you're now at a
phase equivalent to Julia David Chandler's original recipe. Onward! Keep
going!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): One of the most popular brands of candy in
North America is Milk Duds. They're irregularly shaped globs of chocolate
caramel. When they were first invented in 1926, the manufacturer's plan
was to make them perfect little spheres. But with the rather primitive
technology available at that time, this proved impossible. The finished
products were blobs, not globes. They tasted good, though. Workers
jokingly suggested that the new confection's name include "dud," a word
meaning "failure" or "flop." Having sold well now for more than 90 years,
Milk Duds have proved that success doesn't necessarily require
perfection. Who knows? Maybe their dud-ness has been an essential part
of their charm. I suspect there's a metaphorical version of Milk Duds in
your future, Gemini.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In my vision of your life in the coming weeks,
you're hunting for the intimate power that you lost a while back. After
many twists and trials, you find it almost by accident in a seemingly
unimportant location, a place you have paid little attention to for a long
time. When you recognize it, and realize you can reclaim it, your
demeanor transforms. Your eyes brighten, your skin glows, your body
language galvanizes. A vivid hope arises in your imagination: how to make
that once-lost, now-rediscovered power come alive again and be of use to
you in the present time.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The etymological dictionary says that the English
slang word "cool" meant "calmly audacious" as far back as 1825. The
term "groovy" was first used by jazz musicians in the 1930s to signify
"performing well without grandstanding." "Hip," which was originally
"hep," was also popularized by the jazz community. It meant, "informed,
aware, up-to-date." I'm bringing these words to your attention because I
regard them as your words of power in the coming weeks. You can be and
should be as hip, cool, and groovy as you have been in a long time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I hope you will seek out influences that give
you grinning power over your worries. I hope you'll be daring enough to
risk a breakthrough in service to your most demanding dream. I hope you
will make an effort to understand yourself as your best teacher might
understand you. I hope you will find out how to summon more faith in
yourself -- a faith not rooted in lazy wishes but in a rigorous self-
assessment. Now here's my prediction: You will fulfill at least one of my
hopes, and probably more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Polish pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski once
performed for England's Queen Victoria. Since she possessed that bygone
era's equivalent of a backstage pass, she was able to converse with him
after the show. "You're a genius," she told him, having been impressed
with his artistry. "Perhaps, Your Majesty," Paderewski said. "But before
that I was a drudge." He meant that he had labored long and hard before
reaching the mastery the Queen attributed to him. According to my
analysis of the astrological omens, you Libras are currently in an extended
"drudge" phase of your own. That's a good thing! Take maximum
advantage of this opportunity to slowly and surely improve your skills.

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MY OTHER HOROSCOPES

Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to
guide you through life's labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular
deliveries of uncanny revelation.

One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore be to
receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer
you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.

If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my EXPANDED
AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the
current state of your destiny and where you're headed.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The ancient Greek poet Simonides was
among the first of his profession to charge a fee for his services. He made
money by composing verses on demand. On one occasion, he was asked
to write a stirring tribute to the victor of a mule race. He declined,
declaring that his sensibilities were too fine to create art for such a vulgar
activity. In response, his potential patron dramatically boosted the
proposed price. Soon thereafter, Simonides produced a rousing ode that
included the phrase "wind-swift steeds." I offer the poet as a role model
for you in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Be more flexible than usual about
what you'll do to get the reward you'd like.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here's the operative metaphor for you
these days: You're like a painter who has had a vision of an interesting
work of art you could create -- but who lacks some of the paint colors
you would require to actualize this art. You may also need new types of
brushes you haven't used before. So here's how I suggest you proceed:
Be aggressive in tracking down the missing ingredients or tools that will
enable you to accomplish your as-yet imaginary masterpiece.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Useful revelations and provocative
epiphanies are headed your way. But they probably won't arrive sheathed
in sweetness and light, accompanied by tinkling swells of celestial music.
It's more likely they'll come barging in with a clatter, bringing bristly
marvels and rough hope. In a related matter: At least one breakthrough is
in your imminent future. But this blessing is more likely to resemble a
wrestle in the mud than a dance on a mountaintop. None of this should be
a problem, however! I suggest you enjoy the rugged but interesting fun.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): One of the saddest aspects of our lives as
humans is the disparity between love and romance. Real love is hard work.
It's unselfish, unwavering, and rooted in generous empathy. Romance, on
the other hand, tends to be capricious and inconstant, often dependent
on the fluctuations of mood and chemistry. Is there anything you could
do about this crazy-making problem, Aquarius? Like could you maybe
arrange for your romantic experiences to be more thoroughly suffused
with the primal power of unconditional love? I think this is a realistic
request, especially in the coming weeks. You will have exceptional
potential to bring more compassion and spiritual affection into your
practice of intimacy.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In accordance with astrological omens, I invite
you to dream up new rituals. The traditional observances and ceremonies
bequeathed to you by your family and culture may satisfy your need for
comfort and nostalgia, but not your need for renewal and reinvention.
Imagine celebrating homemade rites of passage designed not for who you
once were but for the new person you've become. You may be delighted
to discover how much power they provide you to shape your life's long-
term cycles. Ready to conjure up a new ritual right now? Take a piece of
paper and write down two fears that inhibit your drive to create a totally
interesting kind of success for yourself. Then burn that paper and those
fears in the kitchen sink while chanting "I am a swashbuckling incinerator
of fears!"

ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my assessment of the
astrological omens, your duty right now is to be a brave observer and fair-
minded intermediary and honest storyteller. Your people need you to help
them do the right thing. They require your influence in order to make
good decisions. So if you encounter lazy communication, dispel it with
your clear and concise speech. If you find that foggy thinking has started
to infect important discussions, inject your clear and concise insights.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Homework: Do something that you will remember with pride and passion
until the end of your days. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2018 Rob Brezsny